54: Chapter 54 Demon Contract

Inside the wooden cabin, the blood-pumping symphony continued to play.

The last trace of hesitation in Ivan's bloodshot eyes was swallowed up.

He nodded heavily.

"Boss... I understand."

This time, he was going to risk everything! To make this nightmarish sound stop.

To kill all of these yellow-skinned monkeys.

rare class: Demon Contractor.

Passive Skill: Using lifespan as currency to borrow power from an unseen existence.

The more one sacrifices, the stronger the power obtained, and the closer their form becomes to an inhuman demon.

Normally, he only dared to sacrifice a few months or a year or two of his life.

But now...

"I sacrifice ten years of my life to you! In exchange for your power!!!"

He roared in a low voice using ancient, obscure syllables, his hands slamming onto his chest.

The whites of his eyes were rapidly eroded by darkness, and twisted dark purple patterns emerged beneath his skin.

Two short, curved, pitch-black bone horns, like those of a demon, even protruded from his forehead!

At the same time, Andrei also let out a low growl.

Dark black armor covered his body, and chains began to wrap around his fists.

rare class: Tyrant.

Rule, Submission.

The more subjects that submit to his rule, the stronger his power, defense, and recovery become.

The death or betrayal of subordinates will cause power loss.

This was the fundamental reason why he would protect his subordinates.

They were his precious power batteries.

"Kill her! Ivan!"

Andrei pointed at Shu Qianxue, who was blocking the front, the aura of a Tyrant overflowing from him.

"Get... out of my way!!!"

The dirt beneath Ivan's feet exploded as his figure turned into an afterimage wrapped in black-red Fel Energy.

Wherever he passed, the air seemed to distort slightly, scorched by that evil power.

Shu Qianxue's expression finally became a bit more serious as she faced the charging Ivan.

She raised her right hand and swung it hard toward the incoming Ivan.

Boom!!!

A dull, massive sound rang out.

The powerful collision sent a shockwave through the ground beneath Shu Qianxue's feet, blowing her long hair and the corners of her clothes.

She didn't even take half a step back.

Ivan only felt as if his forehead had been struck hard by an invisible heavy hammer, and his vision went dark.

His entire body stumbled back uncontrollably for seven or eight steps.

Each step left deep footprints in the mud before he finally managed to stabilize himself.

Clutching his numb and aching forehead, he looked at Shu Qianxue in horror.

"What?!"

Ivan's hideous expression froze on his face, his pupils shrinking in disbelief.

Ten years of life! The power he gained from sacrificing ten years of his life, a full-force collision, and he still couldn't contend with her?

"I sacrifice another ten years of my life to you!"

The ancient, obscure syllables rang out once more.

Shu Qianxue finally showed a... somewhat satisfied smile.

"Hmm, now this is finally getting interesting."

"I can finally move around a bit."

...

On the other side, seeing Ivan forced back in one blow, a fierce light flashed in Andrei's eyes, and he prepared to step forward for a pincer attack.

"Thinking of making it two against one?"

Xia Jin snorted coldly, her blood-colored long blade unsheathed.

All over Chen Xiaolin's body, tiny electrical sparks began to crackle and flash.

The two were ready to stop Andrei at any moment.

Bai Yu's cool voice rang out first:

"Disobedient."

Her gaze fell upon the group of subordinates behind Andrei, who had gained a bit of courage because of their leader's outburst.

"Clearly, it would have been better to just stand there obediently."

She raised her fair hand and gently waved it downward.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—!!

The Crossbow Shooters, already prepared, instantly pulled their triggers!

This time, the bolts rained down toward the members of the Andrei Tribe!

"Bastards!!!"

Andrei's eyes nearly split with rage. With a roar, he forcefully stopped his charge toward Shu Qianxue.

He turned back with astonishing speed, rushing toward the area where his subordinates were gathered!

He constantly used the armor on his body to block the bolts aimed at his men.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of dense, rain-like impacts rang out.

"You can't die... not a single one of you can die!" Andrei roared inwardly.

With every subordinate that died, he could clearly feel a trace of that 'Tyrant' power slipping away.

These people were the foundation of his power!

"Oh?"

Watching Andrei move frantically among his subordinates, desperately parrying bolts, a faint curve suddenly appeared on Bai Yu's red lips.

"Interesting."

"Then, try this."

She raised her hand again and made a few simple gestures.

Some of the Crossbow Shooters immediately adjusted their angles, raising their crossbows to point diagonally at the sky.

"Volley—fire!"

Swoosh—!!

Another round of fire, but this time, the bolts traced high parabolas.

From the sky, they fell toward his subordinates like a rain of death!

"What?!" Andrei suddenly looked up, his face changing drastically.

"Scatter! Scatter quickly!!!"

He hissed, his speed increasing by another thirty percent.

Clang!

The fatal part was that to block the arrows coming from different angles in the sky, he needed to constantly move at high speeds and jump; his stamina was being drained.

"A duel!! Have the guts to duel me!! What kind of skill is using these underhanded methods?!!"

Andrei roared hoarsely, his voice filled with humiliation and rage.

Bai Yu quietly watched his ridiculous display of jumping around and running for his life, her eyes calm and rippleless, as if watching a struggling ant.

"A duel?"

Her red lips parted slightly, her voice clearly reaching Andrei's ears, carrying unconcealed mockery.

"The wailing of a loser is truly unpleasant to hear."

"Continue firing."

"You!!!"

Andrei's chest felt tight, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood.

At this moment, he could only place his hopes on the other side.

"Ivan! Hurry up and finish her!!!"

...

However, the battle on the other side similarly made Andrei's heart turn cold.

"Roar!! Die! Die for me!!!"

Ivan had gone completely mad, pushing the demonic power gained from twenty years of his life to the limit.

But Shu Qianxue was still at ease.

Relying solely on her terrifying basic attributes, she dodged, parried, or... took all of Ivan's attacks head-on.

Boom! A punch collided; Ivan was knocked back three steps, while Shu Qianxue didn't even sway.

Swish! Sharp claws tore, leaving only faint white marks on Shu Qianxue's arm that healed instantly.

Bang! A dark energy ball was swatted away by Shu Qianxue casually.

"Too weak."

"Too slow."

"Is this all the power you have?"

Shu Qianxue even had leisure to comment, each sentence like a knife stabbing into Ivan's heart.

After that zombie tide, she had reached level 9.

"Don't interfere!"

She even took the time to shout to Xia Jin and Chen Xiaolin, who were eager to jump in.

The more Ivan fought, the more alarmed and desperate he became.

Twenty years of life! That was nearly half of his remaining life! Why could he still not shake this woman in the slightest?!

His demonic power began to fluctuate unstably.

His aura began to slip from its peak, and his movements showed a hint of lag.

"Oh no..."

An ominous feeling welled up in Ivan's heart.

If this continued, death was certain.

"Ivan!!!"

Andrei's shrill roar, like a funeral bell, exploded in his ears.

"It's time!!! Sacrifice yourself!! For me! For our pride!!!"

Ivan's whole body shook violently, intense struggle and unwillingness flashing in his eyes.

Yes... he couldn't win.

Death was imminent.

Then... let his death have some meaning.

At least, make these yellow-skinned monkeys pay the price!

"Aaaargh!!"

Ivan let out a blood-curdling roar.

The dark purple demonic patterns writhed madly, shrinking toward his heart!

Demon Contract: Sacrifice!

Converting all of his remaining lifespan into the purest 'Demonic Boon' and giving it to a designated target!

"Andrei!!!"

A concentrated beam of pitch-black light suddenly erupted from Ivan's chest.

At a speed hard for the naked eye to catch, it instantly merged into Andrei's back!

"Hrrr!!!"

Andrei's body shook violently, letting out a cry that mixed pain and pleasure.

An aura far more powerful, domineering, and filled with destructiveness than before swept out!

Thud.

Ivan fell straight to his knees.

His hair was turning gray and white at a visible speed.

In just a few seconds, he went from a strong man in his twenties to a withered old man at the end of his life.

He had less than... a year of life left.

Andrei felt the surging, terrifying power within his body.

Power... he needed more power!

His gaze slowly swept over the subordinates behind him.

These, too, were power.

They were when they were alive.

But in death... they were as well!

He could no longer be held back by these burdens.

Living provided more power, and dying provided less.

But... it was better than nothing!

A red light began to appear on his chains.

Tyrannical Siphon: Can convert the injured and the killed into one's own power.

Andrei's gaze became incredibly cold and cruel.

He slowly raised his fist, aiming it at the subordinates he had once desperately protected.

Everyone who saw this scene felt a chill in their hearts.

At the same time, they felt danger emanating from the current Andrei.

The symphony inside the wooden cabin was at its climax.

It seemed the Clan Leader's Blessing was about to conclude.